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Mortality rates among 15- to 44-year-old women in Boston: looking beyond reproductive status.

M E Katz, M D Holmes, K L Power and P H Wise

Harvard Institute for Reproductive and Child Health, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass.

Mortality rates were examined for Boston women, aged 15 to 44, from 1980 to 1989. There were 1234 deaths, with a rate of 787.8/100,000 for the decade. Leading causes were cancer, accidents, heart disease, homicide, suicide, and chronic liver disease. After age adjustment, African-American women in this age group were 2.3 times more likely to die than White women. Deaths at least partly attributable to smoking and alcohol amounted to 29.8% and 31.9%, respectively. Mortality was found to be related more directly to the general well-being of young women than to their reproductive status, and many deaths were preventable. African-American/White disparities were most likely linked to social factors. These findings suggest that health needs of reproductive-age women transcend reproductive health and require comprehensive interventions.